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You're free not to like his opinions however if not for extremes like RMS the software world would be closed and locked down tight. Yes we are slowly sinking into that abyss at the moment because $$$ always wins. RMS's worst predictions have a nasty way of coming true.

Ways to avoid bleak locked down "we don't own anything we own" futures...

2.) Install free operating systems and encourage others to do so. The more people running a Linux distro or 'BSD the better. Just reinforcing rule #1.

3.) Drink beer. Computer stuff seems less important drunk.

The problem with Stallman and his religious cult that calls themselves Free Software Foundation is that their views/beliefs/and opinions don't solve the everyday problems that users have to face. Until they address problems like high performing apps that get things done and highly performing HW with FOSS firmwares better rename themselves to Unusable Computer Foundation.

That said what Canonical did with Amazon would have me pretty pissed if i was an Ubuntu user.

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Look at vlc ... nice window popping up with a short (no scrollbar, whew !) text asking about sending data somewhere, with a friendly little sentence saying something like they don't like sending out any information without the users knowledge and consent. A checkbox and a button.
This can't be that hard to implement.

Canonical not doing such a thing, but apparently hiding the fact they send search queries to amazon - probably generating money for them and improving user profiles for amazon - is the evil. It's forcing the user to analyze every aspect of their system before being able to use it without concerns. Because you'll never know what "feature" they'll implement next. And since knowing all about such a complex system like an OS is impossible, even for professionals, there is not other choice but not to use it.

Betraying trust can't be undone, ever.

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I did not need Stallman to see for myself that Ubuntu is spying on me,

I am long time Xubuntu user ,from around 2005/6, (you know, Ubuntu that uses XFCE desktop environment and not GNOME not Unity ).
And after installing Xubuntu 10.04 I have seen (in Firestarter firewall GUI) that I have unwanted connections.
I realized after investigating it, that UbuntuONE registers my computer's IP address to Ubuntu servers,
making Canonical having one nice collection of IP addresses of ALL Ubuntu-based computers in one place!
I removed all traces of Ubuntu one and lived happily untill 12.04.

Then I decided to try Unity as "new thing".
I was shocked. I was reading Ubuntu Unity terms of service (That I was not presented BEFORE or DURING install!) in disbelief.
I realized for myself that local searches return Amazon selling items (???? wth) ,
that my computer started to behave more like a market place ofr unwanted and unneeded closed source applications
and at the top of that, after removing all parts of Unity that smelled like spyware, not much of Unity was left actually.

I then realized that without all that spyware components , Unity is useless.
It is bad organized, it lookl like hell and acts like one.
It moves control functions of the OS "elsewhere" , I bet to Canonical to toy with your sanity as well as your private data.

I think it is safe to use Xubuntu for now. it will not steal the data form you and will give you plan, simple and usefull way of using Ubuntu packages.
Xubuntu is new Ubunutu.
Richard just was saying the same thing I was saying on #ubuntu IRC channel about month ago, when they shut me down for mentioning spyware in Ubuntu.
Well Canonical, you are bad, you are making free software aplications that are doing things against users, and you are going down.
Give up Unity, provide users back control of their data and lives. Or Xubuntu will be ofiicial way from comunity as saying "Piss off" to Canonical, after long years of coexisting.
ubuntu was never community distribution, but a company one. Bare that in mind when choosing Debian or Xubuntu.

since people know about it and help making it work right, spyware is not the correct term. Because 'spying' is a covert activity. You could also argue that installing ubuntu and using that functionality is explicit consent.

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While RMS has a weird POV at times (see some Emacs versions violating the GPL), it is good that he points out again why people who want freedom should avoid Dumbuntu under any circumstances.

people who want FREEDOM also should avoid the FSF. Because they don't care about FREEDOM. They care about their agenda. I want to be free and install non gpl, non mit, non bsd licenced software on MY computer. FSF wants to take that away from me.

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I absolutely disagree with Stallman. I think he should have told that Windows, OS X, iOS, Android and Ubuntu are all spyware. I think that he can return to the stone age, and that he would be happy there. I work with Linux and make programs for it, and I really want that the PC industry moves to Linux, because in my opinion Windows is killing it. I want SDKs, IDEs, games, and any kind of application for Linux both open source and commercial, and I think that having commercial applications in Linux will also be very beneficial for the open source allowing better drivers' support, better SDKs and IDEs, and better applications.

In my opinion Stallman is a caveman.
PS. I always thought that some people should never have gotten a computer. They make one great thing and then pass all their lives talking and saying non-sense things like Stalkman.

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people who want FREEDOM also should avoid the FSF. Because they don't care about FREEDOM. They care about their agenda. I want to be free and install non gpl, non mit, non bsd licenced software on MY computer. FSF wants to take that away from me.

Do you have any proof to back that statement up? I mean you have to be trolling, you're seriously suggesting the FSF wants to take away the freedom to install non-free software on your own computer?

The FSF showcases and ultimately recommends 100% free as in freedom distros because those are in line with what they themselves have set out to do. You can talk about how they still don't recommend Debian (I think it was only recently that they're targetting all free software), but they in fact do recommend an Ubuntu based distro called Trisquel. The point is to have no non-free bits out of the box if I understand it correctly, and certainly not to take away your ability to install software with any license you want manually and third party repos. No one's preventing you from installing wine and running your licensed copy of CS5.